Flexible shoelace fastener



April 28, 1953 w. PRICE 2,636,237

FLEXIBLE SHOELACE FASTENER Filed April 2, 1951 INVENTOR. MT/rA/V/fl 14PwaE /s AND/ENE! Patented Apr. 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE2,636,237 FLEXIBLE SHOELACE FASTENER Nathaniel W. Price, White Plains,N. Y. Application April 2, 1951, Serial No. 218,790

This invention relates generally to devices for fastening shoe laces andfor preventing such laces from becoming unfastened and more particularlyto devices for preventing shoe laces of, for example, children, athletesand military combat troops from becoming unfastened and/or damaged andfor reducing the possibility of injury as the result of a lace of oneshoe being stepped upon or becoming entangled with the other shoe oradjacent objects.

It is well known that the bows, knots and free ends of tied shoe lacesof childrens shoes have a certain fascination or allurement for thewearers who find fun in tugging at and loosening the laces; and often,the bows and free ends of the laces of childrens shoes become loose,frayed and unsightly in appearance.

A prime object of the present invention is to provide a device wherebythe lace of a shoe may be securely fastened with or without a knot andthe knot and free ends of the lace may be covered and held againstaccidental loosening under all conditions and against intentionalloosenin by a small child.

Another object is to provide a shoe lace fastener that shall requireonly a minimum of skill and care for successful operation and results.

A specific object is to provide a shoe lace fastener of the kinddescribed with a relatively rigid base and shank about which the shoelace may be knotted at the wearers option and then wound, and a capmember normally positioned out of the way of the shank, for exampleprojecting from one end of the shank, but which is adapted to bereversed and folded down over and around the shank and base for coveringand concealing the tied knot and free ends of the shoe lace.

Another object is to provide a one-piece shoe lace fastener that ishighly efficient in operation and relatively inexpensive to manufactureand produce.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription thereof to follow taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe lace fastenerembodying the invention in operative position on a childs shoe.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of the shoe lace fastener in operativeposition.

Figure 3 is a central vertical sectional view of the shoe lace fastenerin open or inoperative position preparatory to fastening the shoe lace.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the plane 1'. :2 Claims. (Cl.24-121) of the line 4-4 of Figure 3 but showing the fas-' tener moved tooperative position and the shoe lace tied in a knot and wound around theshank of the fastener.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane of the line5-5 of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the fastener.

In carrying out the invention there is provided an improved shoe lacefastener formed of rubber, plastic or other suitable material, includinga relatively rigid or solid fiat base I, preferably circular in form, anintegrally formed inwardly tapering shank 2 and a flexible cup-shapedcap 3. The cap normally opens outwardly away from the shank but isadapted to be folded down over or turned inside out upon the shank so asto enclose the shank and base.

The edge of the base is formed with opposed narrow and curved lockingslots 4 communicating with elongated enlarged openings 5 in the base andin a portion of the shank. The openings are disposed parallel to theaxis of the shank and open at their top ends at points below and remotefrom the bottom wall 6 of the cap.

The side wall I of the cup-shaped cap is preferably formed with a beadedrim 8, and is preferably of a length so that in the folded position itreaches the bottom of the base. Both the shank and cap are shaped toserve as handles for manipulating the fastener, and the beaded rim formsa finger piece for rolling or folding the cap up and down.

In the use of the device, the edges of the untied ends of the shoe lace9 are threaded sidewise through the locking slots 4 in the base of thefastener and into the openings 5 in the shank. The fastener is slidinwardly along the ends of the lace until the base seats on theeyeletted sections ll] of the shoe H. The free ends of the lace thatprotrude outwardly of the eyelets l2 of the shoe are then stretchedacross the shank 2 in opposed directions and if desired, may be tiedtogether as indicated at Figure 4. The free ends of the lace remainingoutside of the knot are wound or looped around the shank 2 in an orderlyfashion above the knotted portion as shown in Figures 4 and 5. When thefree ends are completely wound on the shank, said ends are held inposition, as by means of the thumb and forefinger, while the cap 3 isfolded down or turned inside out over the looped lace by which the laceis held and concealed as shown in Figure 5. The inherent resiliency ofthe material of the cap permits this rolling or folding of the cap untilit is completely reversed in roll the cap 3 upwardly to its extendedopen poisition of Figure 3 thereby exposing. the loops of the free endsof the lace and the knot for un-'- fastening purposes.

When in reversed or folded position as ,shown.

in Figures 1 and 5, the cap of the fastener-'completely covers the knotand free ends of =:th-e.lace concealing them from view, protecting themfrom am ge; ndmakingitdiflicult fora child to gain accesstov thelacerTheufasteneris neat in .ap pearance andexerts ,nolpressure on the childsfoot.

han s vin detailsof construction mi ht-be made, withoutdeparting fromthe principleof the invention.

What, I claim is 2.

1. A ,devicenof, the kind described. comprising a, fiat rubber, baseadaptedto. be positionedflat against theuppezgeyeletted.sections of. achilds shoe andhaving opposed slots in its edge, a solid noncollapsibleiShank formed. integrally with the.

base and extending upwardly therefrom a sufi'icient distance to permitknotting and winding of the free ends of a shoe lace thereon, said basehavin openings communicating with the slots in said base for guiding theends of the shoe lace onto the shank, and an invertible hollowcylindrical cap integrally formed on the upper end of the shank andadapted to be turned inside out over the knot and the wound lace.

211A shoe lace-.rfastener' comprising-1 a shank adapted to havetheendsof a lace wound thereon, said shank having a base at one end and anormally cup-shaped flexible cap projecting from the other. shank andadapted to be folded or turned inside out over a lace wound on theshank, said hasewlso having openings therethrough approximately parallelto the shank through which the ends/of "ash'oe lace can be inserted forwindingthe lace ends around the shank.

NATHANIEL W. PRICE.

References. Citediri the file of'this' patent UNITED'S'IATES'PA'I'E-NTS.

Number Name i Date 264,302" Joyce. Sept; 12, 1832 874,161 Burke Dec:17,1907

1,001,079 Rose; Aug;22, 1911 1,048,051 B6 Lan Dec; 24, 1912 1,059;'7I6Bell; Jini 14, 1913 1,756,356 Hill Apr. 29, 1930 1,778,954 Misl'in;Ocl7121, 1930 $117,322 I-Iillmarr Mayl'lj 1938

